[MEDIEVAL ENGLAND]: An excellent collection of nine manuscript documents on vellum dating from the late Middle Ages (1272-1485) in England, comprising, in chronological order -

 

(i) [HENRY III] (1207-1272) Henry of Winchester. King of England 1216-72. Manuscript document from the reign of King Henry III, one page (vellum), small 8vo, n.p., n.d. (c.1260), being a lease from Robert, son of John of Gravely, to Laurence Del Broc and his heirs and assigns 'all my woods which are called L'iveye grove in the village of Chevsfelde, with a ditch surrounding a dike and with all appurtenances, accordingly freely just as I at any time or my father have freely held, namely, those woods which I have held from Robert de la Haye…..paying back then annually seven pence, that is to say on the feast of Saint Michael, 3 half-pence on the feast of Saint Mary, in March 3 half-pence, and done in the manner which pertains to the aforesaid woods, for all ward and secular service exacted….' With a list of witnesses ('John of Blumville, John of St. Egidius, John of Asselby, Richard le Paumer, Gilbert of Westorp, William of Boxe….') at the conclusion.

 

 

(ii) [EDWARD I] (1239-1307) Edward Longshanks. King of England 1272-1307. Manuscript document from the reign of King Edward I, one page (vellum), small oblong 8vo, n.p., n.d. (c.1290), being a quitclaim by Philipus, son of Henry Simond, to Cristina, daughter of Sibilla, in turn a daughter of Henry Simond, of a messuage (i.e. dwelling house with outbuildings and adjacent land) in Shipham. With the remnants of a wax pendant seal appended.

 

 

(iii) [EDWARD II] (1284-1327) Edward of Caernarfon. King of England 1307-27. Manuscript document from the first year of the reign of King Edward II, one page (vellum), oblong 8vo, n.p. (Hampshire), 'Saturday, the feast of St. Katherine the Virgin, 1 Edward II' (25^th November 1307). The document, comprising fourteen lines of Latin written in a clear charter hand, is the gift and confirmation with warranty from Anicia, formerly the wife of Thomas le Hore of Ashley, Hampshire, by her right of widowhood, to her son Nicholas and his heirs, of all her tenement and land in Ashley, in part, 'Be it known to all present and future that I, Anicia, once the wife of Thomas le Hore of Aschely, in the lawful authority of my widowhood, have given, conceded and by this my present document confirmed to Nicholas, my son, that whole tenement and land which I had in the village of Aschely…..along with all their appurtenances, freely, with immunity, justly and in peace, wholly, by right of inheritance for ever, as in roads, paths, plains, pastures, grazing-lands, free use of commons and customary services pertaining to the said tenement and land, from which must be returned annually to the feudal lord in chief rents and services accustomed and owed….' With a list of witnesses ('Robert Thalemache, Andrew Payn, Nicholas de Marisco, Walter le Waleys, John Humberd, William de Oterbourn, Richard de Lymeseye, Roger de Wadyngesham….) at the conclusion, and with the queue and tag for the seal still present (although lacking the seal itself). A few small, minor holes to the text.

 

 

(iv) [EDWARD III] (1312-1377) Edward of Windsor. King of England 1327-77. Manuscript document from the reign of King Edward III, one page (vellum), oblong 8vo, n.p., 'Thursday next before the feast of Petronilla the Virgin 10 Edward III' (30^th May 1336), being a grant with a warranty whereby William le Metere and Emma, his wife, grant to Herrick de Heen one messuage along with one croft and one acre plus one rood (or ¼ acre) of land in Worthing. Some light, minor damp staining, a few very small holes and with neat slits at the foot.

 

 

(v) [RICHARD II] (1367-1400) Richard of Bordeaux. King of England 1377-99. Manuscript document from the reign of King Richard II, one page (vellum), oblong 8vo, n.p., 15^th December 1385, being a grant with a warranty whereby John Breed of Great Waltham gives to John Hamund, John Hultynge and John Claver one field called the Walthemfeld, containing ten acres of pasture and arable land and one and a half acres of meadow, lying scattered in two pieces in the town of Waltham.

 

 

(vi) [HENRY IV] (1367-1413) Henry Bolingbroke. King of England 1399-1413. Manuscript document from the reign of King Henry IV, one page (vellum), slim oblong 4to, Ascot, Berkshire, 'Sunday next before the festival of St. Barnabas, apostle' (7^th June 1405), being a grant with a warranty in which John Taylor of Ascote gives to William and Richard Ana Chacche one cottage and its appurtenances (once the property of Henry Dokeman) and one garden along with one plot of arable land near Ascote, in part, 'Be it known to all present and future that I, John Taylor of Ascote in the parish of Winkfield have given, conceded and by this my present document confirmed to William Atta Hacche and to Richard Atta Hacche, his brother, of the same place, one cottage and one garden along with one plot of arable land also lying near in the aforesaid Ascote between the land of John Sawyer and the land of John Kylby on the south and the land of the said John Sawyer on the west and the land formerly of John Strongban on the east and the king's road on the north….' With a list of witnesses ('John Kylby, Robert Batayle, John Goodwyne, John Atta Stretendo, John Ayleward….') at the conclusion and with a queue and tag appended to the base, although lacking the original seal.

 

 

(vii) [HENRY V] (1386-1422) Henry of Monmouth. King of England 1413-22. Manuscript document from the reign of King Henry V, one page (vellum), slim oblong 4to, n.p., 8^th September 1419, being an indenture in which Margareta, the wife of Henry Popham, lady of Boucland, has attorned to John Fromond of Farnhill lands and tenements formerly belonging to William de Boucland in Arnewode, Southampton, in part, 'To all to whom the present written indenture shall have come, I Margareta who was the wife of Henry Popham, lady of Boucland near Lemyngton, greeting in the name of the Lord. Whereas I hold of John Fromond and his heirs as of his manor of Farnhill all those lands and tenements with appurtenances which were formerly of William de Boucland in Arnewode in the county of Southampton by knight service and by the rent of one pair of gilded spurs payable each year…….and that I have paid to the aforesaid John twelve shillings for six pairs of gilded spurs of rent aforesaid now in arrear for six years elapsing at the next feast of St. Michael…..' With the original queue appended to the base, although lacking the original seal.

 

 

(viii) [HENRY VI] (1421-1471) King of England 1422-61, 1470-71 and the disputed King of France 1422-53. Manuscript document from the reign of King Henry VI, one page (vellum), slim oblong 4to, Thorne, Yorkshire, 30^th April 1446. Written in Latin in an attractive English secretary hand, the document is a quitclaim with a warranty for land to William Reder of Thorne, attesting that William Sparke of Howke, and his wife Matilda, divest themselves of lands, both pasture for sheep, and meadow, belonging to them in Howke, in the part known as Morehampittes, and that the Sparkes invest William Reder of Thorne, and his heirs, with the property by way of enfeoffment, sealing the document in the presence of Robert Mangall and Thomas Stayfe, John Smyth senior, John Gate, John Russell and others. With the original red wax pendant seal affixed and impressed with the initial W.

 

 

(ix) [EDWARD IV] (1442-1483) King of England 1461-70, 1471-83. Manuscript document from the reign of King Edward IV, one page (vellum), slim oblong 8vo, n.p., 1463. Written in Latin in a diplomatic charter hand, the document is a delegation of authority from Thomas Denys and John Draill to Radulf Wuff and Thomas Gate, to grant seisin to Benedict Caldewell, in part, 'Be it known to all that we, Thomas Denys and John Draill, have made, ordered and set in our place the beloved to us in Christ Radulf Wuff and Thomas Gate, our faithful attornies, in order to hand over on our behalf and in our name to Benedict Caldewell full and pacific seisin from and in our manor of Monk Soham, called Bloumviles, along with a view of frankpledge [an examination, in Old English Law, to see if every freeman within the district had taken the oath of allegiance and found nine freemen pledges for his peaceable demeanour] of the same manor and in all the lands and tenements, along with their appurtenances, which we recently held jointly with Robert Wyngefield, knight, Robert Crane, Richard Soket, John Caldewell, Thomas Fartolf and the late Thomas Kempe, by gift and enfeoffment of John Nevill, vicar of the church of Braunford, in the village of Monk Soham aforesaid and in the village of Count Soham….' With two dark red wax seals appended, one with an ear of grain and the other with an unidentifiable impression.

 

An unusual, complete collection of documents spanning an important period of English history from the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries and including the reign of King Henry III, the first monarch whose reign was fully subject to the provisions of the Magna Carta (which had been signed in 1215) and culminating in the royal conflicts which led to the battles known as the War of the Roses, in which the Lancastrian branch, headed by King Henry VI, was toppled by the Yorkist branch under the leadership of King Edward IV. Some light overall age wear, G to generally VG, 9